As most folks know, I am an avid bibliophile. Not just the sort that collects books, or the kind that reads a handful and just likes books… nor am I the neurotic kind that buys books and hides them in crates and refuses to part with them.
Uncalled for…
No sir, no ma’am. I read just about every single book I get my hands on, typically at the rate of one day — sometimes more if the book is short, sometimes over the course of a week if the book is a truly (enjoyable) long slog. I also have the habit of reading several books at once; one in the AM, something over lunch, something work-related if need be in the mid-afternoon, and then from 9:00pm until I get tired at 2pm or so.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
For Bearing Drift, I have decided to resurrect an old column that I had on my own website entitled “What I’m Reading” — in essence, a collection of whatever books I’ve read or am in the process of reading that week (or so). Obviously, my tastes are somewhat bland… or you’ll find them terribly erudite and exciting: history, philosophy, theology, sociology, anthropology, political science and marketing, gardening, or the extremely rare fiction book.
If anything, I hope you enjoy them as short overviews of what’s good out there. Should you find anything you like, just do me two favors: (1) buy the book, not the e-book, and in fact buy it in hardback, so you can (2) place it on a shelf and pass it down to your grandchildren. I loved my grandfather’s library, and though I only own a fraction of it today, it is incredible to point at several hundred books and say “your great-grandfather read these” and mean it.
Why We’re All Romans by Carl J. Richard — Probably one of my two favorite books of the year on Roman history, if only because this book emphasized the reasons why the Romans believed what they believed as well. Not so much an overview of Roman history (though it is one of the best I have ever read in the first chapter) but an overview on why everything — everything — is ultimately borrowed. The chapter on Livy and Roman poetry is fantastic reading, and the discussions on Aurelian and Constantine’s Arch give food for thought on how Roman decay presaged Rome’s fall.
Inside Jihad by Dr. Tawfik Hamid — For those unfamiliar with Hamid, this is a convert from jihadism to a much more moderate brand of Islam… though Hamid would readily argue that his understanding of Islamic beliefs and the Koran is the more traditional interpretation rather than the radicalism being peddled by a few. This book offers rare insight into the Islamist mindset, and is a voice to be watched as Islam writ large tackles the twin issues of violence and development of doctrine.
The Literature of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century by Howard Mumford Jones — Interestingly enough, this book starts out by saying that the usage of the word “literature” to describe 17th century descriptions of Virginia is loose enough. Virginia was described as part wilderness, part Eden, and more in the form of personal correspondence or “belles lettres” rather than what we might consider National Geographic. This great little book focuses largely on the first half of the 17th century, switching over to Bacon’s Rebellion towards the latter 1/3rd of the book and the relative frustration early Virginians suffered during the first 100 years on the continent.
Indians in Seventeenth Century Virginia by Ben C. McCary — It’s a little known (or better still, respected) fact that our early Virginian ancestors didn’t just step on green fields of sparsely populated land. Virginia teemed with natives, friendly and otherwise. Our reaction? Genocide. This booklet spares no bones about the habits, traditions, folklore, and rituals — sometimes repulsive even to the modern ear — of the Virginia natives that called this land home, though it far underscores the number of native Americans present during the Jamestown period as well as the excesses taken to deal with the “savages” present in Virginia proper. Sobering but quick read.
The French War Against America by Harlow Giles Unger — Those of you who have watched HBO’s John Adams will recall the scene where Ben Franklin and John Adams argue publicly at Versailles over the role of the French during the American Revolution. Historians today make Adams look like the crotchety old man, while Franklin’s reputation as statesman remains intact. Harlow Giles Unger in this marvelous little polemic does much to strip away any pretense that the French were altruistic allies of American liberty during the War for the Spirit of 1776, and one’s appreciation of the War of 1812 is greatly increased by Unger’s excellent treatment of the role of French diplomacy on the world stage vis a vis her American companions. Don’t worry folks… Lafayette is mercifully (and rightly) spared.
The Lost Capital of Byzantium by Steven Runciman — Still the most authoritative English author on the Byzantine period, Runciman’s little book on the coastal town of Mistra on the Greek Peloponnese and its role during the Byzantine Renaissance is an engrossing read. Though the town is by and large in ruins with the exception of a monastery, the new town of Mistra still has a street named after Runciman; a fitting tribute.
The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer — As in, “I can’t believe I bought this damn book.” Pass.
Clothed in the Robes of Sovereignty by Benjamin H. Irvin — How did the American government choose to adorn itself with the seals, coin, images, rituals, and splendor of a sovereign nation fit to take its place among the nations of the earth? What did they reject for symbols and titles, and more specifically, what did “these States United” choose to accept? The book is extensively written and focused, but a worthwhile read for anyone interested in how (and why) the Founding Fathers chose certain ceremonies — and what republican America forced their representatives to honor and respect as well.
The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts — Better titled, “Why The British Firebombed Dresden and Why The Germans Deserved It” — or something to that effect. Anglicized as this viewpoint may be, this one-volume treatment of the Second World War is a history-lovers history of the conflict. Very highly recommended.
Aporetics by Nicholas Rescher — When presented with two truths, how does one decide which one is to be followed? Professor Rescher muses upon this conundrum with a lengthy series of examples and counter-examples… in a book that was written by Wittgenstein some 60 years earlier (entitled On Certainty). Skip this one unless you are well-steeped in analytic philosophy.
The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Hayes — It’s not that I didn’t like this book. Humorous at points, informative at others, it just wasn’t my speed. History doesn’t need to be made interesting to me, but if you’re the type that finds most history rather dry and tasteless, then this just might be the book to get you interested in the era.
American Cicero by Bradley Birzer — Charles Carroll was the only Catholic who signed the Declaration of Independence, even though he could not vote in his native Maryland because of his faith. Carroll outlived all his peers, being the final signatory of the Declaration to pass away in 1832 at the old age of 93. This book demonstrates why Carroll, despite the prejudices of his day that endure even to the modern day, was an open and willing supporter of the American Revolution and the principles behind the Declaration of Independence. Fantastic read.
The Monroe Doctrine by Jay Sexton — The Monroe Doctrine has been a cornerstone of American diplomacy ever since its first utterance, sometimes ill-enforced. Yet the principle that our Western Hemisphere is off-limits to European colonization has done more than just exhibited American hubris — it has been the foundational principle of American foreign policy that has resisted the clarion calls for empire even as the United States began reaching for its own during the Spanish-American War. Self-determination rather than self-enrichment proved to be the contrast as the sun set on the British Empire and ceded the role of world power to the Pax Americana, and how President Monroe set the stage for navigating America’s role as a republic in a global economy. Excellent and quick read.
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